1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging system for airway devices that permits their rapid access. In particular, the packaging system is capable of maintaining the device in storage under sterile conditions, yet be capable of facilitating rapid unpackaging and use.
2. Description of Related Art
The airway of a human being includes the throat and windpipe, and leads to the lungs. Control and management of a patient's airway are required under a variety of circumstances.
During the administration of general anesthesia, in particular, or as a result of trauma or injury, loss of consciousness and tracheal muscle tone may require the use of an artificial airway to maintain proper patient ventilation. A wide variety of devices are currently available for this purpose (see, e.g., United States Patent Publications Nos. 2002/0011249, 2002/0189618, 2005/0016529, 2005/0039756, 2005/0199244, 2007/0028923, and 2008/0029100; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,937,859; 6,070,581; 6,119,695; 6,311,688; 6,427,686; 6,705,321; 6,830,049; 7,096,868; and 7,357,845; PCT Publications WO9816273, WO00/30707, WO05087300 and WO08/123,934). In brief, such airway devices can be categorized as face masks, endrotracheal tubes or as pharyngeal airways.
Face masks cover the mouth and nose and provide a port for connection to a ventilation means. They provide a non-invasive means for short term airway control, particularly in patients free of airway obstructions or tracheal damage. Endotracheal tubes are tubes that are inserted into the trachea through the mouth or nose. The devices can comprise an inflatable cuff or balloon which permits the device to seal against the interior surface of the trachea. This approach avoids the deficiencies of face masks because it includes the provision of a conduit traversing the pharynx, and forms an effective seal against the airway, allowing positive pressure ventilation, and protection against aspiration of stomach contents (see, U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,581). Endotracheal tubes can, however, be difficult to insert and properly position. Moreover, insertion is invasive and can be particularly problematic for patients who are not deeply sedated. Pharyngeal airway devices generally comprise a tube with a cuff to seal against the pharyngeal wall at the base of the tongue (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,814,103; 3,908,665; 4,054,135; 4,067,331; 4,068,658; 4,069,820; 4,090,518; 4,338,930; 5,443,063; 5,743,258; 5,653,229; PCT Publication No. WO95/06492).
Accurate placement of an airway device can be a very difficult task for the clinician and can be a traumatic event for the patient. When a patient is under anesthesia, or has lost consciousness for other reasons, the tongue and tissues of the throat relax and fall back, effectively obstructing the flow air from the mouth or nose to the laryngeal opening. This same relaxation of the tongue makes it difficult to pass an airway device along the back of the tongue, into the throat.
The difficulties attending to the use of airway devices is compounded by the often urgent and exigent circumstances in which they must be employed, especially in the case of trauma patients. Choosing an airway device appropriate for use in a given medical procedure may be difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish in advance of examination. As the devices as typically stored in sterile packaging, the time and complexity of removing the device from the packaging materials can compound the complexity of the procedure and delay installation of the device. Thus, it is desirable to employ a packaging system capable of storing the device so that it will be rapidly ready for use.
A wide variety of packaging systems has been developed for medical devices. Such systems include transparent blister trays (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,694; United States Patent Application Publications Nos. 2007/0209957 and 2004/0195145); capped containers (United States Patent Publication No.: 2006/0200046); sterilizable pouches (see, e.g., United States Patent Application Publication No: 2007/0084144; PCT Publication No.: WO05087302); tab-closing envelopes (see, e.g., United States Patent Application Publication No: 2004/0020795); and edge-sealed, sandwiched sheet coverings (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,941,308; 4,863,016). Such edge-sealed, sandwiched sheet coverings have become a conventional means for packaging medical devices.
Despite all such advances, a need thus remains for a packaging system that will permit a physician or emergency responder to rapidly access a desired packaged airway device so that it can be quickly and efficiently provided to the patient. The present application is directed to this and other uses.